I recognise that food security is human right, enshrined in Article 43 of the Constitution of Kenya; where every man, woman and child has the right to be free from hunger and have food of acceptable quality.

I understand that being food secure cannot only be measured by the number of bags of maize stored in strategic grain reserves and, to say we are food secure means more than a state of non-famine.

I agree that the Human Right to Food is not the right to be fed. It is the right to feed oneself, in dignity.

I strongly object to leaders or members of public office who use food or food aid as a political tool.

I support gender inclusive legislative reform that strengthens the position of women – as equals to men – in the agricultural, livestock and fisheries sectors.

I support leaders who promote food security and social justice by investing in small-scale food production, distribution and value addition, including the participation of men and women, the elderly and youth who suffer from chronic food insecurity.

I understand that hunger and undernourishment is a chronic problem, not an episodic crisis caused by our changing climate. Therefore, I support forward-planning collaboration between the necessary ministries of state (such as education, water, health, infrastructure, environment, finance and agriculture) as a critical step in addressing an ongoing problem.

I support farming policies and practices that are socially, environmentally and economically sound. To this end, I object to solutions advocating the use of genetically modified organisms and synthetic fertilisers.

My commitment to this pledge means I will start a counter-narrative to the current conversation about food security. I will be critical of purely structural and technical explanations of the problem and I will argue against the assertion that Kenya is food secure.

I will use my knowledge, skills, position, social networks and other means I have at my disposal, to actively contribute to achieving the Human Right to Food.

Route to Food

We’re an alliance of individuals who are part of an initiative to realise the Human Right to Food in Kenya.
Email: layla@routetofood.org if you would like to get in touch.

Subscribe

Sign up to receive the Route to Food Newsletter. We don’t send emails often, but when we do rest assured it will have interesting news and updates about our work towards realising the Human Right to Food in Kenya.